Misconceptions
by CrowNoYami
Summary: It had taken him a long time, but eventually he could feel the bitter rejection healing when he found himself face to face with what he had once only dreamed of having. Hiei/Kurama


**Misconceptions **

Hiei looked down from his place high upon the tree he was resting in, it wouldn't be the first time that he decided that he would be the one looking in and he was sure that it wouldn't be the last. Every few minutes however he could feel the fox looking at him, checking up on him as it was snowing out from inside of the temple with the rest of the gang. Being both koorime and hi-youkai he never had to worry about temperature unless he was so ill that he was near death.

Now that he was comfortable however in being in more warm places it was slight bit uncomfortable mentally to be alone outside. Closing his eyes, Hiei rested his head on the trunk of the tree while he let himself relax completely against his resting place. Still he could feel the gaze of the fox every now and then when he guessed someone would mention his name or how cold it was outside still he never moved from where he was.

It was pure torture, and not for the first time he wondered how much the fox really knew. Against his own thoughts his hand came to grasp at the tear gem that he had laying against his chest. It had been years since he had tried to let the fox know how he really felt, since he was harshly rejected by the only one he was willing to trust. Sure he had pretended that it didn't matter, that it was a misunderstanding but the truth was that it did matter, more than he would ever be able to express.

He knew that things were changing within himself, no matter how much he wanted to deny it even Yukina had noticed that he had changed slightly in the past while. No longer did he taunt Kuwabara nor did he glare a the man for expressing his love for his only sister, instead he had even silently given his permission. Shivering, despite the fact that he couldn't really feel the cold, Hiei tried to stop his thoughts from where they were going, but he knew that it would only be a few moments before he could go back to his old thought process.

For years now he had been changing, moving to become the youkai that he was suppose to be. As much as he didn't wish for it to happen he had become the youkai that the koorime had feared he would. Now he was different he no longer snapped all that much, he still didn't talk however he did listen now, he would even nod or shake his head for the response. The thing was that nobody knew how to take the changes, they didn't know if they should be happy or worried about the changes as at 500 Hiei should have been fully developed in everything including his personality.

Hiei knew that they would be confused, but only one person out of the group would have an idea on why it was that he changed so much, and he was sure that he didn't care enough to change anything about it. Still Hiei tried as much as he could to interact with the others, not wanting to feel so alone as he did when he was rejected. The sound of the door being shut behind someone coming from the temple, not thinking anything of it, Hiei merely staid in his spot in the tree.

Hearing the sound of someone clearing their throat, Hiei looked down from his spot not all that surprised to see the detective below his spot. Raising an eyebrow, Hiei silently questioned the man what he could possibly want desperately enough to freeze himself in the snow. There was no response for a few minutes while they just staid there looking at each other, it was unsurprisingly Yusuke that broke the ice.

"We were wondering why you aren't inside with the rest of us…. Kurama told us that you don't feel the cold but it still would be a lot more comfy then that branch inside, don't you think?"

Tilting his head slightly Hiei wondered on how to answer the detective, deciding not to bother putting up a fight this time Hiei let it slide. "I prefer to be outside Detective, things are… easier when alone."

It must have been then that Yusuke put the pieces together, because as dumb as he seemed he was truly a good friend and in tune to the emotions of those around him. Unlike the others he had known or at least guessed on what was wrong with his friend when he started acting strange, trying too hard to be liked, to be accepted. It was no large leap to know beforehand that the hi-youkai was in love with the youko.

"It's not worth it, you know… trying to change who you are just so that the whole will go away… who you're trying to be… it isn't you… you need to go back to who you are, not who people _might_ want you to be."

Hopping down from where he had been sitting in the tree, Hiei stood tall, now 5'2" from his previous 4'10" as he looked at the detective. There was a fire in his eyes, something that had been missing since the harsh rejection.

"I advise you, Yusuke that you don't speak of what you know nothing about, you have your mate."

Before he could move away Yusuke placed an hand on Hiei's arm, a look of sympathy in his eyes while he spoke, his voice soft. "Yeah I do… but who says that you can't have yours? Did you every really ask him? I mean really ask him if you could be his mate… if there could be a courtship?"

Instead of getting angry as Yusuke expected it seemed like all of the life left Hiei while he turned his head away, there was no more anger in his voice only sadness while he spoke. " I did once Detective… years ago at the end of the Makai tournament… he told me then that he wasn't interested in me then… he gave back my tear gem…"

Letting go of his shoulder Yusuke took a step back, having half a mind to do something or to hold Hiei himself before he could however the little youkai was off and away to whoever knew where. Walking back inside the house as he was now freezing, Yusuke took off his shoes and accepted the towel from Yukina to dry himself off before he turned to Kurama. The fox was looking at him worriedly, it had been his idea to send someone after the hi-youkai in the first place.

Once his hair was dry and there were a pair of warm slippers on his feet, Yusuke walked up to Kurama. Once he was in range he couldn't help himself, surprising the rest of the group he punched Kurama on the side of his face hard enough to send him to the ground of the temple. Too in shock to do anything nobody stopped him as he knelt down in front of the redhead, his eyes seeming to fill with rage.

"Why?… I thought that you cared, Kurama that you weren't the heartless bastard that you were rumored to be in the Makai… but why him? When he did nothing but love and protect you… why did you reject him?"

Yukina and Keiko gasped slightly tears coming to their eyes while they pieced together what had been wrong with their friend. Sure it had been nice to have Hiei listen to them a bit more but they missed the way that he would directly tell them how to fix what was wrong in the easiest manner possible or simply solve the problem himself.

Kuwabara took a moment longer to figure out what had happened, but once he did he wrapped his arms around Yukina. They had spoken one day about her missing brother and how she had known that it was Hiei from the very beginning but was waiting for him to say something, now it made a bit more sense why he didn't after the Makai tournament.

Kurama however merely widened his eyes as tears came to his own vision, it had been so long ago and he knew that they would all be separated for years to come. He had been so overjoyed when he saw Hiei give him his mothers' tear gem but he had thought then that he would merely be waiting for Hiei to come back from the Makai, that when the portal opened again that Hiei would move on with someone else, with Mukuro perhaps… he didn't know that he was the one to break the hi-youkai instead.

Brushing Yusuke off, Kurama quickly moved to the door and got his winter clothing on, his jacket and shoes before rushing out of the temple a satisfied Genkai and Yusuke smiling slightly while they watched him move. It had been obvious long before, when they had first met the two that the youko and Imiko had been meant for each other, why else was Hiei so protective, and forgiving of only his fox.?

It took Kurama over three hours in the bitter cold for him to find the small youkai, thankfully he was still in the Neginkai as it would be next to impossible for him to travel in this weather to the Makai. Seeing the small tuff of black hair in the mouth of a cave he had shown the other as one of his many dens even here in the Neginkai Kurama smiled slightly at the picture. Hiei's whole body was relaxed against the cave and his small form was curled up slightly while he leaned back against the rock, his ruby eyes were shut in sleep and the small puffs of air could be seen in the chill.

Moving as quietly as possible towards his prey, Kurama for a moment managed to forget that his toes were near frozen and he was sure that he would get frostbite before the night was through if he didn't find shelter and heat soon. Eventually he managed to make his way beside Hiei, although he was under no impression that the Imiko was sleeping any longer. Taking the chance Kurama walked inside of the cave slightly as to no longer be hit by the wind and to get his feet out of the snow.

Sitting down beside his friend he tried to get as close as he thought would be allowed to the only heat source. They sat there for a while before he spoke, his voice coming out as soft and reassuring. "I didn't believe you would wait for me… when you gave me the chance… I didn't know if you would wait for me, after all Mukuro is a very powerful youkai…"

Turning and opening his eyes sharply at the figure beside him, Hiei didn't know how to respond. Disbelief and a slight amount of hope was present in his eyes while he looked at the figure beside him. Seeing how the form was shivering he easily raised the temperature of the cave so that the other could get warm after all his lips were starting to turn blue.

"And now, fox?"

Surprised that the heat started coming too surround the whole cave, Kurama slowly stopped shivering so violently although his body was still cold. Smiling slightly at the hi-youkai beside him he tried to think of something to say that would ease both of their minds.

"Now, my friend… I wish that I had the knowledge then that I do now… and I can only pray to Inari that you may still feel the same."

Wanting nothing more then to take out his gem and to present it to the fox again, Hiei was still against his better judgment scared, what if it was nothing more than a trick for him to leave his heart vulnerable again. As if sensing his hesitation Kurama made a move that was bold even for him. Moving quickly but yet slowly enough not to startle his little mate he placed a leg on either side of Hiei.

Bending to the right angle, Kurama closed his eyes before pressing his cold lips against the warm ones he wished to taste. It was slow, warm and perfect. Neither of them pulled back for a while, each waiting to see what the other would do. There was no tongue evolved no escalation for something more, it was merely a press of lips, gentle and giving all of the emotions that they could in the simple gesture.

Once the kiss was broken Kurama only waited a moment before there was a slight weight against his neck, looking down he found Hiei's gem hanging from a cord. Looking at his little love he smiled and kissed his lips again. The wind howled through the night as the storm blazed on, the others having been snowed in until the next day. However even then they did not hear anything from the two youkai who were happily reacquainting themselves to each other inside a cave. Hiei it seemed found out that although the cold didn't bother his skin, the warmth of his mate could melt his heart.


End file.
